


we can watch the snow fall forever and ever

by lifewasradical



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Baker Luke Hemmings, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Barista Ashton Irwin, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Food, Happy Ending, I don't know enough about baked goods for this sorry, M/M, Michael doesn't have a job sorry, Mutual Pining, Photographer Calum Hood, Swearing, just so much fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28175610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifewasradical/pseuds/lifewasradical
Summary: “Here, you got the last one. Enjoy,” Luke smiles, handing Calum the bag over the register. Calum’s eyes light up, taking the wrapped pastry from Luke. “I thought you said you were all out of everything?” Calum asks, tilting his head to the side.“I’m full of surprises,” Luke quips, biting at his lip.Or, Luke and Ashton open a coffee shop, and Calum is Luke's favorite customer
Relationships: Luke Hemmings/Calum Hood, Michael Clifford/Ashton Irwin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 28





	we can watch the snow fall forever and ever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaleidoscopeminds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidoscopeminds/gifts).



> I had the pleasure of writing a fic for the lovely [Meg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidoscopeminds) for the club fic exchange! Meg is the queen of all things Cake and baking, but I've had so much fun with this fic. Meg, thank you for being the sweetest human to ever exist, I love you! I hope you enjoy this. 
> 
> also, this happens to be my first 5+1 fic so! that's fun too! 
> 
> title from Step Into Christmas by Elton John

_ **ONE** _

Luke wrings his hands together nervously, pacing across the tiled floor of their shop as Ashton cashes out their final customer. The energy is high and he’s absolutely exhausted, but he’s content, no,  _ thrilled _ , with the way today went. 

Luke and Ashton’s coffee shop had only been open for 2 hours when he ran out of croissants. After another hour, they’d run out of absolutely everything he had baked. Honestly, it was what Luke had hoped would happen because that meant their grand opening was a success, something that would mean a lot for him and Ashton. They had risked a lot on this shop, a pipe dream for the two of them since they were roommates in college, staying up late at night thinking about the possibilities of opening a shop together, with Luke baking and Ashton in charge of all things coffee. 

They’d worked so incredibly hard, perfecting their plan, finding the right store front, and saving up every penny until they were able to afford a place right across from the train station, perfect for a steady influx of patrons every day. They spent the better half of the year preparing for the opening, promoting, and getting their stock right for day one. 

But regardless of all their hard work, Luke didn’t expect to sell out of all his baked goods in three hours, especially not when they were supposed to be open for a full 12 hour day. He feels incredibly guilty turning away customers, especially young kids who just wanted a cookie or something sweet to snack on. His heart breaks when they pout, but he is physically unable to bake anything that will be ready in less than a few hours. 

Ashton is wiping out the display cases while Luke is in the kitchen, beginning the process of making his goods for the morning, prepping everything he can now to make sure that they’re more prepared for day two. Luke faintly hears the front door bells chime, so he returns to his post at the register, wiping his hands off on a towel. 

There’s a man, tall with dark hair, looking up at the menu board in contemplation. Luke is immediately drawn to him, subtly eyeing him as he waits to see what the man wants. He’s dressed in casual clothes, a hoodie and checkered vans, and Luke can’t help himself from thinking how cuddly he looks. He shakes the thought from his head, mentally chastising himself for his train of thought. 

“Hey, I’m just gonna be upfront with you, we have nothing left other than drinks, and even then we’re out of milk, so half our drinks aren’t possible right now, so I’m so sorry, I hope that doesn’t deter you from coming back when we’re fully operational again, because I know this looks unprofessional but I just didn’t know what to plan and— oh man, I’m sorry that I’m ranting now, let me shut up,” Luke sighs dramatically at the end of his speech, blushing bright red and slightly out of breath as he blinks at the man across the counter. 

The man smiles coyly, stifling a laugh behind a cough as he stares Luke down. “Damn, I did come here to try an apple croissant since my friend was adamant about it being the most incredible thing he’s ever eaten after he came by this morning. But I guess I can come back another day,” the man says, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets as he begins to turn away from the counter. 

“What’s your name?” Luke blurts out, holding back from clapping his hand over his mouth in embarrassment. He tries to will the blush away, rapidly trying to figure out a reason for why he asked for his name. He curses his lack of filter, something he was actively working on and trying to control everyday, with the help of Ashton. 

The man looks pleased for a moment, eyebrows quirking up quickly before regaining composure, fast enough that Luke thinks he made it up. Instead, he shuffles on his feet for a moment, taking a slight step back and towards the door. “Calum.” 

Luke nods once, twisting his fingers together nervously, playing through his next moves in his head. “Well, Calum, today might be your lucky day, one minute,” Luke says, taking off into the kitchen before Calum can say another word. 

  
Ashton is waiting for him there after having finished wiping down the cases, face puzzled from Luke’s conversation. “What are you doing? We don’t have anything left.” Ashton studies Luke’s movements, following as he paces the kitchen, looking for something. “Can I help you find something, Luke?” Ashton tries again, stepping forward from where he’s leaning against the countertop. 

Luke ignores Ashton in favor of opening a bag that Luke had placed next to his keys and jacket by the back door. He hums excitedly as he wraps the paper bag up nicer, securing it with a smiley face sticker before turning back towards the door. Ashton keeps watching him, perplexed as to why Luke is acting this way, giddy and anxious, bubbling over the surface. 

Luke returns to the front, finding Calum staring at the watercolor painting of a sunset on the wall. Luke almost doesn’t want to disturb him, but he wants to keep talking to the man, getting to know Calum more if possible. He clears his throat to announce his presence, Calum turning around and eyeing Luke over the countertop. 

“Here, you got the last one. Enjoy,” Luke smiles, handing Calum the bag over the register. Calum’s eyes light up, taking the wrapped pastry from Luke. “I thought you said you were all out of everything?” Calum asks, tilting his head to the side. 

“I’m full of surprises,” Luke quips, biting at his lip. 

Calum’s mouth twitches into a smirk, framed by soft brown eyes, “Thanks, how much do I owe you?” 

Luke waves him off, scoffing slightly at the question. “On the house.” 

Calum opens his mouth to complain, hand already clutching his wallet in anticipation. “Just, come back and tell me how it was, yeah? That’s more than enough payment for me,” Luke asks, interrupting Calum completely. He feels a little rude cutting someone off like that, especially a potential future customer, but something tells Luke that he needs to see Calum again. 

Calum smiles at Luke’s request, blinking slowly. He nods, pushing his wallet back into his pocket and starting towards the door. “Okay, I promise I’ll be back. Thank you, Luke, congrats on the opening!” he shouts, leaving the shop with a wave. 

“What the fuck was that, you were so excited about your apple croissant?” Ashton asks suddenly, pulling Luke out of his wistful stare after Calum. Luke blushes, frowning over at Ashton, “I think he needed it more than I did,” Luke says unhelpfully, shoulders sagging slightly. He  _ was _ looking forward to his treat, but now, he’s looking forward to the next time Calum comes into the shop instead. He can make more croissants, but what are the odds that Calum would actually come back to the shop if Luke let him leave empty handed?

  
“Bullshit, you just thought he was hot,” Ashton counters, shooting Luke a knowing glance before wiping down the countertops with a smirk on his face. Luke short circuits for a moment, gaping at Ashton and trying to come up with a response that isn’t a childish “ _ shut up! _ ” 

He knows Ashton is right, he definitely thought Calum was attractive, but he can’t let Ashton have the satisfaction of knowing that he can read Luke that easily. With years of friendship under their belts, Luke silently resents Ashton knowing him inside and out, wishing he wasn’t so easily perceived by others. But, at the same time, a small part of him hopes that maybe Calum thought Luke was flirting and will make good on his promise to come back to the shop again (and again and again.)

“I don’t even know him!” Luke finally responds, sagging back against the countertop. He wipes his hand across his head, pressing his lips together into a tight line. The exhaustion from the day finally sets in, the excitement of opening the store and Calum essentially draining Luke of the last of his energy. But, he still can’t help but think about the man, even if he only saw him for all of two minutes. Luke was hopeless.

“Yet,” Ashton winks, laughing hysterically as Luke tsks, rolling his eyes and returning to his work in the kitchen. “Just wait until he comes back again!” Ashton calls after him, giggling from the main shop. 

They manage to get set up enough for the next day and reflect on their wildly successful opening day, hugging and going their separate ways, ready to sleep until the alarm blares, bright and early. Luke tries to think about the pastries he’s going to bake in the morning, but instead of nutella stuffed sweets, he finds himself daydreaming about hazelnut-colored eyes and soft smiles. 

_ **TWO** _

The next morning, Luke finds himself jumping every time someone opens the door, hoping that sometime the bells are going to ring and Calum will walk in. He eventually banishes himself to the kitchen to prepare more icing, willing his brain to calm down long enough for him to get something done. He’s vibrating with pent up energy, unnecessarily so as he’s had  _ one conversation  _ with Calum, not even one of any substance.

He chastises himself for being so infatuated with a man that he’s barely spoken to, but something about Calum makes Luke feel intrigued. He wants to chalk it up to the holiday season making him more emotional, seeing all the couples coming in and out of the shop every day. But regardless, he can’t help but wish on 11:11 that Calum will come back, that he’ll keep his promise of stopping by to share what he thought of the pastry. 

Ashton calls out to him eventually, requesting extra help as the lunchtime rush comes in, bringing along a new group of people. Luke flies through the orders, smiling warmly at each person, thanking them for stopping by and hoping they come back again soon. 

People are lingering at the tables, someone is sketching by the window, and two people are working on their laptops at a booth, giggling over steaming drinks as they type away, writing stories of other people’s lives. Luke is in awe of the space him and Ashton have created, the welcoming environment exactly what they wanted. They sell good snacks, better coffee, and they’ve cultivated the perfect lounging space for anyone to feel comfortable, safe and sound. 

He lets himself get sucked into the scenery, enjoying the warmth of the space. Luke lets himself get sappy for a moment, appreciating Ashton and the store they built together, a labor of love with his best friend. No one ever believed that they would be able to do it, but here they are, succeeding and making something for themselves. He wishes he could travel back in time, catch freshman year Luke and Ashton and tell them that everything will end up okay, that they’ll actually make it. 

Luke looks over at Ashton for a moment, seeing him leaning over the counter, smirking at a man with blond hair and a beanie. Luke quirks his head, catching the tell tale signs of Ashton flirting; the cocky smile, kind eyes, constantly licking his lips. The other man seems to be eating it up, a shy smile on his own face as he twists a coffee cup between his hands, covered by the sleeves of his hoodie. 

Luke stores that thought in the back of his mind, a conversation he wants to have with Ashton later once they’ve closed the shop. If Ashton is going to make fun of him for his innocent crush on Calum, who he’s spoken to once, then he also deserves to be teased for whatever  _ that _ is, blatant unashamed flirting. 

They make it through the rest of the day without a hitch, thankfully not running out of fresh goods until the very end, only a few cookies left on the trays when they’re wiping down the countertops after they’ve locked the front door. Luke can’t help but be disappointed by the fact that Calum never stopped by, though he never really promised to be back tomorrow, just sometime. Sometime could mean two years from now, Luke thinks, picturing himself and Ashton still running the coffee shop a few years from now. He knows that even years from now, he’ll still remember the sly smile on Calum’s face, the little teasing lift in his smile as Luke did his best to woo him with a croissant. 

He’s heading into the back to start preparations for the morning when he hears a tug at the front door, metal clanging due to the door being locked. Luke checks the time, knowing it's far past their hours of operation, rolling his eyes at whoever can’t read the sign on the door that says “closed”. 

Luke wants to keep walking away, but something tells him to turn around, to look at who is stupidly trying to get into a closed establishment, if only to be able to laugh with Ashton about the person later. Luke swears he’s a nice person, but he does get a laugh at someone else’s expense occasionally, especially when it's something like tugging on a door handle when the sign obviously says “closed”. 

In the end, he’s glad he does look back, because on the other side of the door is Calum, looking a little embarrassed as he inspects the door, seeing the closed sign and beginning to walk away. Luke speeds across the tiled floor, tripping over his own feet to get to the door fast enough to stop Calum from walking away. 

He throws the door open, bells slamming against the glass door as he yells out “Calum!” resulting in everyone in the surrounding area turning to look at him. He ducks his head, bashfully sharing his apologies for the interruption, locking eyes with the dark haired man. Calum’s lips quirk up into a smile, suppressing what Luke has to assume is laughter at the scene he created. 

Luke feels his breath in the air, clouds of hot air swirling with the below freezing temperature outside. He curls his hands around his arms, sliding against his sweater for warmth. He curses the cold, but at the same time, feels so warm from Calum’s presence, his holding true to his promise to return, even if it’s after their normal operating hours. 

“You’re closed,” is all Calum says, nodding his head to the darkened shop, hands stuffed in his pockets for warmth. He’s shivering a little in the cold, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. 

“Did you want something? We only have a few things left, but there are a few good options,” Luke asks, gripping on the door a little tighter. His brain screams  _ stop sounding so desperate! _ at him, but he pushes that thought away as fast as it comes in. He reasons that he can’t turn away a customer, especially not one who’s come back two days in a row. 

“Was just gonna stop by and see if you had anything special, my friend stopped by again earlier and said he loved the snickerdoodles. The apple croissant was incredible, by the way. I don’t know how you managed to make it so perfect but you really have a talent there, Luke.”

Luke blushes as he thinks back to what they have in the back, knowing very well that all the snickerdoodles were long gone and he didn’t think to save one earlier in the day. He tries to think about what he could combine to create something special for Calum to enjoy, something that would bring him back again. 

He waves Calum inside, directing him to sit in a booth while Luke runs to the back, scrambling to piece together any kind of specialty treat he can come up with. He ends up with a tart filled with the rest of an experimental fruit filling he had been toying with, hoping that the mixture of fresh fruits would be appealing to Calum, knowing absolutely nothing about him other than that he enjoys cinnamon and apple. 

Luke returns, the treat wrapped up with a heart sticker on the bag, holding it out for Calum. He takes it happily, sending Luke a questioning glance. “What is it this time? Not that I don’t trust you, but I just want to know what I’m getting myself into,” Calum laughs, holding onto the bag tightly. 

“It’s a surprise, something unique, just for you,” Luke realizes how that sounds the second it leaves his mouth, immediately tripping over his words to backtrack. “I mean, no, wait, like, it's one of a kind. Like I just put it together in the kitchen, it’s something I’ve been messing around with, testing a new potential recipe. So like, uh, tell me if you like it?”

Calum laughs, full-bodied and loud, filling the space of the empty shop. Luke feels his face flush, heating his cheeks fully. He pouts slightly, embarrassed by his ability to get tongue tied over the smallest things. His brain holds onto the sound of Calum’s laugh, storing it away for another time when he needs a little pick me up. 

“Luke, you are wonderful. What do I owe you for this?” Calum asks, standing and heading towards the register. 

Luke shakes his head, waving Calum away, “Don’t worry about it, it might be awful anyways, I can’t charge you for something that might be a disaster.”

Calum tuts, pulling a few bills out of his wallet and dropping them in the tip jar, “If you won’t accept actual payment, you’ll have to accept a tip.” He smirks, watching Luke flounder for a moment before nodding, rolling his eyes fondly. 

“Luke, it’s been a treat as always. I’ll report back on my thoughts. Maybe you could name this after me if it turns out to be a hit.”

Luke gapes as Calum leaves the shop, waving through the window as he leaves. Luke is left staring after him, wishing that Calum would come by every day and offer some new surprises, livening up his life. 

“Don’t have a crush on him, huh?” Ashton jabs, startling Luke from his daydreaming. Luke rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath about not even knowing Calum’s last name, let alone having a crush on him. 

He leaves the shop a while later, scanning every group of people to possibly catch a glance at Calum, hoping to hold onto any thread that will lead him back to the other man. He gets home that night and goes through the motions of feeding his dog, making himself dinner, and wrapping up his day with the sound of Calum’s laugh as a soundtrack through it all. 

_**THREE** _

The next morning, Calum comes in at a normal time, far before they’ve run out of all the good treats. Luke is manning the register, so he notices Calum walk in, looking slightly frustrated. Luke watches him get in line and he tries to pay attention to the customers in front of him, but he can’t help but rush through everyone in an attempt to get to Calum faster. He’s polite to everyone, a fake smile gracing his lips as he rushes through every person, wishing for them to come back again but really wanting nothing more than for everyone to leave and let him be alone with Calum for a while. 

When Calum’s turn finally comes, Luke stutters through the rehearsed greeting, coming across even more forced than usual. 

Calum smiles, waving to Luke as he scans the menu before meeting Luke’s eyes. “Good morning, Luke. The tart from yesterday was incredible, I can’t believe you can just come up with new things like that. I’ve never had anything like it before in my life.” Calum praises, biting his lip at the end. 

Luke tries to hold back his swoon, trying his hardest to remain professional as he gets flustered by the compliments. “Thank you, I guess maybe I  _ will _ have to name the treat after you if I end up selling it more frequently.” Luke pretends that he doesn’t take mental stock of what he has in the kitchen, wondering if he is prepared to make the tarts again for tomorrow. 

“Okay, not to be rude and just rush out of here, but what do you have that would impress my sister? Like, I haven’t seen her in a bit, I want something that will really woo her,” Calum asks, glancing into the glass case, looking for something interesting. Luke watches the way that his eyes sparkle in the reflection of the glass, glittering under the warm lights. 

Luke contemplates for a bit, humming dramatically as he looks at the display case. Nothing in the case screams impressive, all basic treats that he wouldn’t give to someone he hadn’t seen in a while. If he’s trying to make a good impression on Calum, it’s also important to make a good impression on his sister, and none of the items in the case are particularly spectacular. “Is she a fruit or chocolate person?” he finally asks, leaning over the top of the case. 

Calum grimaces, shrugging his shoulders, “I wouldn’t know. I really couldn’t tell you what she likes, I’m a bad brother I guess. I mean I know she has a sweet tooth, so maybe chocolate would be a good option? But you’re the expert, so just choose whatever you think would be best.” 

Luke rolls his eyes fondly, humming to himself as he goes into the kitchen. He picks up some peanut butter cup brownies, ones that were supposed to be saved until tomorrow morning. Luke knows Ashton is going to give him shit for it, for making his own life harder by creating a need for another new baked good tomorrow, but Luke likes to think that in an emergency like this, he can do whatever he wants. 

Luke wraps them up in a special box with a bow on top, sealed with a star sticker and a small “ _ enjoy!” _ written on the side in his nicest handwriting. He returns to the front, Ashton having taken over his post while he was gone. He sees Calum pacing off to the side, typing furiously on his phone with a distressed look on his face. 

“Here, these are my favorites, I hope your sister likes them too,” he says, shoving the box towards Calum, who perks up the second that Luke returns. Immediately, Calum peers through the clear plastic window, smiling happily at the brownies inside. He makes eye contact with Luke, gaze emanating all the appreciation in the world. Luke thinks he could close up shop right now, because nothing is ever going to bring him as much satisfaction as the look on Calum’s face does right now. 

“Luke, you’re a lifesaver, honestly. She’s gonna love these, I know it. How much?” Calum asks, placing the box down on the counter to retrieve his wallet. 

“Honestly, don’t worry about it, just get to your sister, okay? It looks like you’re in a rush,” Luke smiles, taking in the way that Calum deflates a bit with Luke’s insistence. 

“You’re going to go broke if you don’t stop giving me free goods, Luke,” Calum chastises, though the smile on his face depicts how truly happy he is, crinkled at the eyes and showing his teeth. Luke wants to make him smile like that forever if he can. 

“It's worth it though, yeah? Gain a consistent customer, you’ll always be coming back for more?”

“How are you gaining a customer if you never make me pay? Maybe I’ll expect you to always give me free stuff though, never bring any money. I’ll start telling my friends that I get everything for free and they’ll expect to get their stuff for free too. Put you out of business before your first month even happens,” Calum jokes, smirking. 

Luke mind supplies “ _ No, Calum, you’re the only person I would give free things to. It’s only for you,” _ before Luke is able to push the thoughts away. 

Instead, Luke blushes, turning away quickly to cover his embarrassment with a feigned need to get back to the store. Over his shoulder, he answers Calum, “Just get out of here, and let me know what she thinks, please.”

Calum’s smile falters a little bit but he recovers quickly, nodding with a reserved smile. He waves as he runs out of the store and Luke lets out a steady exhale once he is safe from embarrassment. 

Luke turns, ready to let Ashton take over the register again while he goes back to baking, only to find Ashton looking at him disapprovingly, in a way that only Ashton can, after years of friendship. “Oh fuck off, I’ll pay for the brownies out of my check,” Luke groans, nudging Ashton out of the way to get back to his rightful position. 

“You know I’m not worried about that, I’m more worried about you stupidly flirting with Calum and acting like it’s nothing.” 

Luke gasps, affronted by Ashton’s accusation. “I’m not flirting with him! I’m just setting up a good customer-owner relationship here!” 

Ashton raises his eyebrows, unimpressed by Luke’s stubbornness. 

Luke huffs, rolling his eyes again, “No, if we’re going to talk about anyone flirting, I want to know more about the guy you’ve been chatting with lately, hmm? The blonde guy that makes you go all melty and goofy? What about him?” 

Ashton blushes, returning to the coffee maker without a single word as Luke laughs, leaving the front to return to his task of preparing for the rest of the weekend. If he finds himself making apple croissants and fruit tarts in bulk, he adamantly ignores it, insisting that he’s just enjoying the season, all spices and warm pastries and all things festive. He refuses to wonder about Calum’s sister, to think about what they’re doing. He quietly wishes that he could know Calum outside the walls of the shop, to see how he acts with his family. Luke tries to push that thought away as fast as it settles, reminding himself that there are things that matter outside of a man he has spoken to three times. 

And yet, Luke finds Calum’s voice in every customer, his smile in every person. He leaves the shop that night thanking his lucky stars that he even gets to know Calum in the minimal way that he does, but he crosses his fingers that he gets to see more of Calum sometime soon. 

_**FOUR** _

Luke’s wish comes true sooner than he thought it would, only waiting a few days before Calum’s return to the store. It's snowing heavily the next time Calum walks into the shop, holding the leash of the smallest, fluffiest dog Luke has ever seen while bundled up head to toe to keep out the cold. Had it been any other day, he would have had to restrain himself from running across the cafe and causing a scene in front of the customers, but not a single soul is in the shop, so Luke lets himself be overly dramatic. He all but throws his apron off to the side, flying around the counter and onto the floor. 

“Oh, who is this?!” He yells, crouching down to pet the pup shaking snow off of his fur. 

Calum grins, pulling the zipper on his jacket down to expose his face, “This is Duke. We were out for a walk and decided it might be nice to stop by on our trip. I just didn’t realize how badly it was snowing until we got mostly here, so is it okay if we hang out for a bit? I don’t know your policy on pets in the shop, it might not be all that hygienic.” There’s worry written all across Calum’s face as he comes to the mental conclusion that Luke might not allow him to stay here with his dog. 

Luke laughs, scratching behind Duke’s ears. “I’m the owner of the place, I’m okay with it,” Luke affirms, taking a seat on the floor to let Duke crawl onto his lap. “I resent that!” comes a voice from the back, Ashton popping his head out for a moment to send Luke a disapproving look. “Hi,Calum,” he says before ducking back into the kitchen.

Calum looks down at Luke quizzically, “Who’s that?” 

“Ashton, my partner. No, I mean, business partner. We co-own the shop,” Luke confirms, a light blush on his cheeks from his fumbling. 

“Oh, I didn’t realize you co-owned, I thought this was your place and maybe he was an employee.” 

Luke looks over his shoulder, half expecting Ashton to burst out of the kitchen at that point, eavesdropping on the conversation. “Oh no, we’ve been best friends since we were in college, we decided to take a chance on the coffee shop together since I’m good with all things baking and he makes a mean coffee.”

“Oh wait, that’s  _ Ashton? _ ” Calum confirms, looking over Luke’s shoulder like he is finally piecing something together. Luke lets his face fall into confusion, feeling like he’s missing out on some kind of vital information. Calum shakes his head, dismissing the thought but looking pensive still. 

Calum finally hums, taking a seat at one of the metal chairs nearby to Luke, letting Duke’s leash fall to the ground. He smiles as Luke continues to pet Duke, receiving sloppy puppy kisses in return. 

“How were the brownies? With your sister?” Luke asks, forever seeking out compliments on his baking, despite being awkward about accepting them. 

Calum beams, launching into a story about how his sister Mali-Koa absolutely loved the brownies, claiming she was going to marry whoever made them. Luke’s cheeks flush at that and the little voice in the back of his head whispers  _ sorry Mali, if I’m going to marry anyone, it will be your brother, _ before he quickly pushes that thought out of his head. He refuses to go down that train of thought, especially with someone that he’s only fully spoken to a few times, all of which were about baked goods. 

Ashton suddenly comes over behind them, handing each of them a cup of hot chocolate, sprinkled with little glittery sprinkles. “I thought you might like something to sip on while you chat,” he offers, a slightly teasing tone to his voice. 

“Shit, I can get back to work if you need me to be doing something,” Luke says, beginning to push himself up on the floor. He misses Calum’s glum expression at the action, but Ashton pushes him back down, shaking his head. 

“Not a chance, we won’t have anyone in the shop all day, please keep hanging out. I’m just gonna work on cleaning up some of the mess around here. Please don’t mind me, I’ll just be in the kitchen,” he smirks, raising his eyebrows before nodding at Calum, leaving them alone again. 

“Tell me about you, what do you do?” Luke asks once Ashton is safely back in the kitchen, intent on learning more about the man who has captured all his thoughts for the past few weeks, even when he didn’t want to admit that to anyone. 

“I’m a photographer, I mostly do concerts and action shots, but I had Duke out with me today to see if I could be a little better at more planned, still images. I’m working on it, so we’ll see how they come out when I’m done editing,” Calum says. 

They end up spending time talking about music from that, realizing that they have many favorite bands in common, a rare treat in Luke’s eyes. It’s been a while since he’s found someone who shares the same music taste as him, so they go back and forth about the music, lapsing into other topics. The time passes quickly, conversation changing from music, to animals (Luke will take any opportunity to gush about his Petunia at home), to their home lives and families. 

The sun slowly begins to set over the horizon, Luke finally taking a moment to look at the time to notice that he’s spent the entire afternoon talking with Calum, conversation flowing easily, more comfortable than it has with anyone aside from Ashton. 

Luke stores away the information for later, wanting to remember every detail of Calum’s life. He thinks about spending evenings wrapped up on the couch, going back and forth with random details about their lives, eventually knowing everything about each other to the point where they feel so intertwined, so open with each other that they are two parts of the same whole. 

He realizes Duke is asleep on his lap, snoring softly into the fabric of his pants when he feels Calum’s gaze on him, more intensely than he did before. They lock eyes, small smiles creeping up on both of their faces. Luke’s so grateful for the snow for bringing Calum, and Duke, to him today. He knows it would have been an incredibly boring, uneventful day if not for the welcomed distraction.

  
“I think I should finally get this one home, it’s almost time for you to close up,” Calum says softly, frowning dramatically with a playful lilt to it, a smile dancing across his face. 

Luke sighs through his nose, pulling Duke up to his chest for a quick cuddle before putting him down on the ground, standing up himself. His knees creak with the movement and he groans, shaking out his limbs as Calum laughs at him. 

“Please, if you had been sitting on the ground for the past four hours, you would also be complaining,” Luke whines, teasing lit to his voice. Calum rolls his eyes, scoffing at Luke, “No, I’m made of steel, I don’t get aches and pains like you do. I’m in perfect condition!”

Luke laughs, loud and bright, bouncing around the walls of the shop. He shies away from the noise suddenly, covering his mouth in an embarrassed way, pouting as Calum laughs as his reaction, “Don’t cover your face, you looked cute.”

Luke blushes more at the statement, dusting off the back of his pants. He holds up a finger, running to the kitchen to grab a snowman cake pop and one of the dog treats he was testing for Petunia, wrapping them both up in a bag with a little snowflake sticker. He returns to the front, handing Calum the bag. 

“For you and for Duke, for tradition’s sake,” Luke offers, running a hand through his curls.

“So you’re not going to let me pay for this or the hot chocolate then, yeah?” Calum confirms, huffing when Luke shakes his head. “Okay babe, I’ll make it up to you someday. Bye Luke!”

Luke stares after Calum, confused by the pet name but also glowing, positively radiating excitement as he suppresses a wide smile. He tries not to let himself get too excited, because maybe Calum is just… friendly? Maybe he likes to use pet names for friends, because there isn’t any confirmation that Calum meant it as anything more than a friendly babe between acquaintances, despite the fact that they did spend  _ four hours _ talking to each other about everything in their lives. Still, Luke pushes down the giddiness, insisting that all good things come in time and he can’t jump to conclusions so quickly. 

“Have fun with your date?” Ashton asks from behind him, effectively pulling Luke out of his thoughts. Luke rolls his eyes and throws a pen at him, the closest thing he could find. Ashton laughs, hopping up on the countertop and swinging his legs, “It seemed like you guys were getting really cozy, I didn’t eavesdrop because I’m a good friend but I checked up every once in a while just to make sure you hadn’t disappeared. “

Luke lets himself smile, just a little bit, at Ashton’s friendship, grateful for both the man and this place for becoming the best parts of his day everyday, despite the long hours and neverending scent of coffee staining his lungs, he loves their shop. He loves getting up at the crack of dawn to serve coffee and his homemade treats to customers who don’t always appreciate their service enough, working next to Ashton, sharing a space together. 

He loves meeting so many new faces, seeing the happiness that they’ve created in their little space, filled with memories and trinkets and eclectic decor that screams Ashton more than Luke, but he loves it all the same. He lets the appreciation seep deep into his being, truly content with the way things are working out for the first time. 

He can’t help but hope that things work out in a good way for him and Calum, whatever that means. Friends, more, whatever way, Luke hopes that Calum stays in his life for a while, given that he hasn’t felt so comfortable with someone so fast since him and Ashton first became roommates all those years ago, forced to spend every waking moment with each other in tight quarters. 

“Got lost in your head?” Ashton asks, a knowing smile on his face. Luke nods, a small smile playing on his own. “Yeah, thinking about how this place changed our lives, you know? Glad to see it’s working out for us.”    
  


Ashton just nods, knowing that there was more to what Luke was thinking, but thankfully allowing him to keep it inside. Instead, he offers a private smile back and they finish their work for the day, both lost in nostalgia and memories.

And if maybe, when they’re leaving, Luke hugs Ashton a little tighter and a little longer than normal, no one has to know. 

_**FIVE** _

It’s been almost a week since Calum last came through the shop, since the  _ babe _ incident that had been replaying in Luke’s mind every day since. Luke’s convinced himself that somehow Calum found out that Luke is interested in him and is now too uncomfortable to come back into the shop, or that somehow Luke had managed to say something that offended him throughout their extensive conversation on the snow day. 

So when Calum walks in the door with another man bright and early on a Tuesday, Luke lets himself be relieved for a moment, but also disappointed by Calum’s partner. He’s pretty sure that Calum never mentioned being in a relationship throughout their entire conversation, a detail that should have come up sometime between talking about dogs and their preferences in dipping sauces. 

Despite knowing Calum owes him nothing, including no explanation for having a boyfriend, Luke can’t help but feel a tiny bit of jealousy for Calum’s partner, the way that they are jabbing at each other and laughing privately as they walk into the shop, close enough to imply the worst. Luke feels his shoulders sag, the bubble of happiness that normally blooms when he’s with Calum floats to the ground, losing all of its air quickly. 

“Hey, Luke, this is Michael,” Calum introduces once they’re up at the register. Luke puts on his best customer service smile, one that he knows must come across a little dimmer than normal based on the slightly concerned reaction that Calum seems to have. He tries to shake off the discomfort, forcing the smile on his face to shine a little brighter to appease Calum’s worry.

“Hey, nice to meet you,” Luke supplies, a bit strained, “What can I get you?” 

Calum’s face goes blank for a moment, clearly not used to the way that Luke is acting towards him. It makes Luke feel a bit guilty, after all the work he’s put into making sure Calum is a repeat customer, he can’t just push him away because his petty infatuation got in the way and ruined every chance of having a normal friendship with the other man. 

There’s a tense pause, one where even the light acoustic music playing in the background of the shop is too quiet, the only real sound being everyone’s breathing. Luke lets himself size up Michael for a moment, eyeing the odd beanie he’s wearing, the oversized black clothing, a few tattoos across his hand. Luke can see why Calum would be into Michael, but he also feels the momentary sadness of knowing that Calum’s type must be the complete opposite of Luke, counting every way that they are different. Still, Luke thinks that he’s seen Michael somewhere before, maybe just a face in the crowd, but Luke is sure that he’s laid eyes on the other man at least once. 

Michael, obviously feeling the strain on the lack of conversation, mutters “I’m gonna use the bathroom,” under his breath, taking off down the hall. Out of the corner of his eye, Luke sees Ashton leave the coffee maker, heading down the hallway after him. Luke thinks it’s nice of Ashton to give him and Calum some space, but that’s the last thing he wants right now. The stress of talking to Calum normally, as if he isn’t harboring this building interest that is dying down more each second due to the man he walked in with. 

“Is everything okay?” Calum asks, not even acknowledging Michael leaving or Luke’s initial question of what Calum wanted today. 

Luke holds back a scoff, the voice inside his head saying  _ he’s a customer, don’t piss him off! _ Instead he nods, biting his tongue to hold back everything he would like to say but doesn’t have the right to. “Yeah, I’m fine, can I get you something?” 

Calum sighs, looking at the menu, “Well I really wasn’t here for anything, Michael just wanted an excuse to see Ashton again.” 

Luke’s cognitive function completely halts at that, connecting the dots together, making sense of Ashton following after Michael down the hall. He thinks back to the multiple times that he’s seen Michael here before, always leaning over the counter and talking to Ashton, interrupting the day to day work. Luke wants to smack himself for being so dense, not realizing that the man who had Ashton giggling over the countertop was also Calum’s friend, the one who first suggested that Calum come to check out the shop. 

“Michael… and Ashton?” Luke says dumbly, unable to find the words to say anything more at the moment.

Calum furrows his eyebrows, nodding slowly at Luke’s processing, “Yeah, they’ve been dancing around asking each other out for like, weeks? Since the shop opened, I think. I don’t know; Michael talks about Ashton all the time, I figured Ashton was doing the same to you but I guess it’s a little concerning that you seem so confused. Does Ashton not like him? Shit, am I going to have to deal with a heartbroken Michael? Heartbroken Michael is the worst, I don’t have enough snacks to help him through this right now.” Calum sucks in a deep breath, eyes widening more and more throughout his blabbering. 

  
“No, uh, no? I don’t know?” Luke stutters out, blinking at Calum, “I’m sorry, I’m still stuck on Michael, he’s not your boyfriend then?” Luke asks. 

Calum laughs, full and intense, doubling over with the force of it. “Oh hell no, we’ve been friends since we were kids. God, we would never work out like that,” he keeps laughing, wiping a stray tear away from his eye. 

“Oh…” Luke hums, nodding thoughtfully. If Calum and Michael weren’t actually together, then maybe Luke still has a chance. He tries to push that thought away, but there is a renewed need to continue flirting with Calum, to make it known that he is interested because Luke is not the kind of person who would ask someone out, he waits to be swooned by another. 

“Did you think that Michael was my boyfriend?” Calum asks suddenly, eyes comically large with a mocking hint to it. Luke feels his face flush bright red, ducking his head to mask it as best he can, “You both just came in so… overly friendly? I don’t know, I made an assumption.” 

Calum keeps laughing, shaking his head fondly at Luke, “You know Michael and Ashton are probably back there making out right now, right? Did you get that?” 

Luke rolls his eyes, the blush still present on his face, “Yeah I got that now, thank you for mansplaining to me.” Luke loves the way that they can banter with one another, sending easy jabs at one another like they’ve been friends for life. 

Calum gasps, holding his hand over his heart, “I am hurt by that! I’m not the one who thought I was dating my best friend! I have other interests.” 

Luke tries not to overanalyze the end of the sentence, thinking about what other interests Calum could have. He settles on the idea that maybe Calum hasn’t been flirting with him for the past few weeks, that maybe instead he is just overly friendly with all his friends, toeing the line between too much and not enough everyday. For all Luke knows, he could be straight, could have a girlfriend, or maybe he’s just not interested, or he has a boyfriend, or any type of partner. Maybe he is one of those people who finds the most joy in being alone, living and traveling and doing spontaneous things. 

Or, maybe he just isn’t into Luke. The flirting was harmless enough, just winks and babes and teasing glances, so there is nothing to investigate, nothing to read so far into and spiral about. 

Luke finally nods, a beat too long after Calum had grown silent, searching every point of Luke’s face for something. When he doesn’t find it, he deflates, but keeps his head held high. Luke thinks he should have been paying closer attention, should have responded faster. His heart pounds a little heavier thinking about making Calum upset in any way, so he pushes forward and seeks to fix the situation. 

“What’s your mood for today?” Luke asks, eyes peering out from over the top of the display case. Calum hums loudly, inspecting the case of food in front of him, a little more reserved than normal. As he’s staring at the display, the timer dings for the oven and Luke gasps, running to the back to pull out the cinnamon rolls that had been baking with a quick call of “ _ one second _ !” over his shoulder. 

“Cal?” Luke calls out a little bit later, closing the oven door and resting the pan on a trivet. He vaguely hears Calum call back, a faint “yeah?” from the front. “Don’t pick out anything, I have something here. Just give me a moment!” Luke shouts back, removing the icing from the fridge. He douses each roll in a significant amount of the sickly sweet frosting, inhaling the warmth that the treats bring. 

He plates one singular cinnamon roll for Calum, sprinkling on a little bit of edible glitter just for extra pizazz and brings it to the front with a fork, still steaming. Calum’s eyes widen when Luke returns, looking at the giant roll with interest. Luke sets it down on the countertop, handing him the fork and gesturing for him to try it with a “Careful, it’s very hot.” 

Calum ignores the advice and digs right in, burning his mouth but also closing his in delight as it melts in his mouth. “Good?” Luke laughs, licking his lips slightly. Calum nods vigorously in response, cutting off another large piece and eating it immediately. 

He cuts off another bite, stabbing it with the fork and lifting it to Luke’s mouth. Luke opens his mouth to protest, but Calum takes the opportunity to shove the piece into his mouth, a teasing smile on his lips. Luke rolls his eyes and chews, appreciating his own craft. Calum smiles, eyes lighting up with something that Luke can’t place, taking another piece for himself in the process. 

“Did you just feed him a bite? That was grossly soft,” a voice calls from behind Calum, both of them jumping and noticing Michael and Ashton smirking at them from afar. They both look suspiciously dishevelled, bitten lips and slightly out of place hair, all signs pointing towards Calum being right before. Luke tries to direct the attention away from them by raising his eyebrows at Ashton and Michael, gesturing between them wildly. 

“No way, I wasn’t the one being hand fed cinnamon roll, that was far too sweet of a scene to walk into, we’re not moving on from that yet,” Ashton teases, stepping back behind the countertop. 

“But were you making out in the bathroom on work time?” Luke asks, pursuing his lips playfully. Ashton rolls his eyes, shrugging softly as Michael whispers to Calum out of earshot. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I was just helping out a customer in the back.”

“That makes it sound even worse!” Luke chokes on his laughter, searching the shop just to make sure that none of the customers heard Ashton’s joke. Michael just cackles along with Ashton while Calum at least has the decency to look ashamed in their actions, turning away from their friends with a frown. 

Ashton rolls his eyes, pressing a quick kiss to Michael’s lips before returning to his place behind the counter, starting to make a drink, likely for Michael in particular. Calum starts grinning, a mischievous look on his face, immediately causing an unsettled feeling to run through Luke. 

“Oh Mike, Luke here thought that we were dating. How cute is that?” he jabs, chuckling lowly at the amused look on Michael’s face. 

“Us? That’s hilarious, sorry Cal, you’re just not my type.”

“Unfortunately, you’re not my type either, I have a very specific type in mind,” Calum replies, taking a second to shoot a look at Luke. He gives a small smile, one that Luke can’t fully decipher in the moment, before returning his focus to Michael.

Michael responds with a full laugh, looking over at Luke again for a moment before shaking his head fondly at Calum. “And, I’m a bit preoccupied with someone else,” Michael shares, tilting his head across towards Ashton who is doing his very best to remain neutral, hiding his face behind the coffee machine. 

Luke watches the encounter go on, a simple friendly interaction. He lets himself notice the small differences between the way that Michael and Calum talk and the way that Calum acts around Luke. He sees their familiarity, but not the intimate nicknames and glances that he receives from Calum. He notices the body language differences, reading too far into the interaction between lifelong friends. 

Michael and Calum finally look back at Luke, a weirdly loaded silence between them all suddenly. Luke sweats under the pressure, an awkward smile on his face. Michael looks at him knowingly, nodding once as if to approve of something that Luke doesn’t know about. Luke pulls his eyebrows together, looking between Calum and Michael in confusion. 

Calum looks at least a little ashamed of whatever interaction is happening, the chance of understanding sailing above Luke’s head. Instead Calum stuffs the last bite of the cinnamon roll into his mouth, chewing animatedly. Michael rolls his eyes, checking his watch and gently nudging Calum. 

“We have somewhere to be, so how much do I owe you?” Calum asks, pleading gently at Luke to just accept money. Luke sends his own smile back, shaking his head. 

“Learn by now Cal, you won’t be spending any money when you’re here.” 

Michael coughs out something Luke doesn’t catch, but Calum does, swinging his arm back to smack Michael. They start lightly arguing again, waving their hands around wildly in a conversation meant for only them. Luke and Ashton share their own glance, weirdly entranced by the scene in front of them. Suddenly Calum sighs, throwing his head back in exasperation. 

“Luke, it’s been lovely meeting you. But, lover boy and I have an important appointment to be at, so he’ll be back to see you another day. Ash, I’ll talk to you later,” Michael shares, nodding once before heading out the door and into the cold. 

“Lover boy?” Luke asks Ashton, confusion evident across his face. 

Ashton rolls his eyes, throwing a rogue towel at Luke, “You’re so dense, I won’t even explain that one to you. Figure it out.”

Luke spends the rest of his shift trying to figure out what that means, what piece of the puzzle he was missing. He goes to bed that night with no answers, only more confusion about the enigma that is Calum.

_**\+ ONE** _

A little bit before closing a few days later, Calum comes parading into the coffee shop, looking determined with a hint of something else hidden behind his smile. He hesitates for a moment before fully approaching the counter, placing his shopping bag on the top. 

Luke grins at him, familiar comfort flooding over him with another chance to talk with Calum. He’s accepted the company, feeling increasingly more confident in his ability to not get flustered by Calum’s presence. That, and Ashton’s insistence that  _ yes Luke, Calum does like you and he does enjoy being around you _ has him calmer than normal, giddiness replaced with a serene feeling of home. 

“What are we looking for today?” Luke asks, wiping his hand on a towel. 

Calum suddenly looks shy, looking anywhere but at Luke, biting down on his lip. “Actually, I don’t need anything from you today, I, uh, decided to return the favor?” 

Luke tilts his head to the side, baffled about what exactly Calum could mean. Calum rocks back and forth on his heels, a small, nervous smile gracing his face, a look that Luke has never had the pleasure of seeing before. His mind goes into overdrive, wondering about all the possibilities of what gift Calum could possibly have for him, overthinking every single possibility. 

Calum pulls a small paper bag out of his camera bag, placing it down on the countertop and frowning, “Okay, so like, you always give me these incredible baked goods, like, everything is just next level amazing. And you don’t even let me pay for them, so I thought maybe I would try to like, I don’t know, express my gratitude on the same level? So, I made you these cookies, except I’m pretty sure I did something absolutely wrong, because they’re horrible. Like, I am so embarrassed about giving them to you, but I didn’t have time to remake them again, and I don’t know, maybe my taste buds are just shot from only eating your incredible creations every single day, but I don’t know, I’m rambling now, so here.”

Luke huffs out a laugh, touched by Calum’s gesture, shaking his head lightly, “You didn’t have to do that! I mean, I know it’s hard to give a baker a baked good but they can’t be  _ that _ bad.” 

Calum’s reluctant gaze has Luke thinking that  _ okay yeah, maybe they ARE that bad _ . He takes the bag, tearing it open and pulling out what looks like a chocolate chip cookie, but smells… slightly off. He hesitantly takes a bite of it and realizes  _ yeah, Calum definitely messed up more than one thing here _ . Regardless, he swallows the bite, immediately taking a sip of the coffee he had waiting for him. 

“See, I know they’re awful,” Calum starts, but Luke cuts him off quickly. 

“I mean yeah, they’re pretty bad. I don’t really know what you did to them but they taste kinda citrusy? And a bit salty? I’m kinda shocked you managed to mess them up that badly, but how about I teach you how to make them properly? We could bake in the kitchen together, my recipe?” Luke offers, adoration flooding through him. 

Calum’s face goes blank and Luke immediately back peddles, “I mean, we don’t have to, I just thought it would be kinda fun? Like, I could show you how to do it properly so next time you decide to bake for someone, it doesn’t come out wrong? But like, I get it if you have somewhere to be?” Luke scrunches up his face, wishing he could crawl into a hole and hide for a bit. 

However, Calum’s face splits into a grin, squinting his eyes at the intensity of it. “I would love that, right now?” 

Luke nods, “As long as you’re okay with it, we’re gonna close in a few minutes anyways so we could hang in the back and bake, if they’re good enough then maybe we can sell them tomorrow and I can actually have something named after you,” Luke jokes, biting on his lip. 

He proceeds to lock the front door and change the sign to closed, basically skipping back to the counter, ushering Calum to follow him. “Am I going to get in trouble with the owner if I’m back here?” Calum laughs, looking around the space in awe. 

“Maybe a little,” someone says from behind them, Calum and Luke both jumping at Ashton’s sudden entrance. He’s leaning against the doorway, looking all too impressed with the scene in front of him.    
  


“God, Ash, are you trying to kill us?” Luke breathes, a hand over his heart. He can feel his blood rushing through his veins and for a moment he stops to think if it's from the scare or from Calum’s proximity. 

“Sorry, was just coming to tell you I’m heading out to meet someone, but I didn’t expect you to have company.” 

“Oh, say hi to Michael for me! He said he was going out with you tonight,” Calum smiles, heading to the sink to wash his hands. 

“Excuse me! Going out with Michael?!” Luke yells, looking at Ashton with wide eyes. 

Ashton smiles sheepishly, ducking his head at the mention. He doesn’t say a word, just winks at Luke and waves before heading out the door, calling a “have fun!” over his shoulder at the last second. Luke is thankful that he wasn’t going to stick around and make fun of him any longer, but he mentally notes to follow up with that conversation in the morning. 

Luke turns the radio up higher, as he normally does when he’s baking, a level just above acceptable for the normal day to day workings of the shop. He sings along to All Time Low, dancing ridiculously as he collects all the materials they need for the cookies, Calum making comments along the way just for fun. 

Calum and Luke giggle through their whole lesson, Luke trying desperately to get Calum to just  _ pay attention! _ while all Calum wants to do is eat chocolate chips by the handful and throw bits of flour at Luke. Luke resigns to leaving a floury handprint on Calum’s shoulder, effectively ruining the sweatshirt he’s wearing until he’s able to wash it again.    
  
Calum gasps in false outrage, covering his own hand in flour before placing it directly onto Luke’s face, covering the entirety of Luke’s cheek. His hand lingers for just a moment too long and Luke feels his face heat up, trying desperately to keep his cool and not show off how impacted he is by the little gesture before turning to finish rolling the dough into balls.

Luke finishes the cookies, putting them in the oven and insisting that Calum helps with the cleaning, considering he was the reason that there was such a large mess in the first place. Calum rolls his eyes but sweeps up the dusting of dry goods on the ground while Luke runs a cloth over the countertop. 

Once they’re both finished, they hover awkwardly for a moment, usual banter lost to something a little more tense in the air, a new feeling. Calum’s face lights up momentarily, a little “ _ oh!”  _ coming from his mouth as he goes to retrieve his bag, coming back with a wrapped gift. 

  
“When the cookies didn’t come out right, I had something else for a backup present to say thank you for all you’ve done for me. Just a little gift,” he explains, handing the rectangle to Luke. 

Luke carefully unwraps the glittery paper, revealing a framed photograph, one of Luke and Ashton inside the shop in the middle of a rush. They’re both smiling, practically glowing even in the image, excitement radiating off of them both. Luke is stunned, speechless looking at the memory of them both, beautifully composed to show the character of their little shop, how absolutely ecstatic they are to have opened it together, and encapsulating the success that they have found working together on this project. 

Luke traces his finger over the glass, a soft smile on his lips unwillingly as he looks up at Calum with more appreciation than he’s felt in a long time. “I took it on your second day. I had come by to tell you about how wonderful the apple croissant was, but it was so busy that I ended up standing outside and watching instead. I probably got some weird looks but I was just mesmerized watching the two of you working together. I hope it’s not creepy, I just- you were radiating happiness, and so was Ashton, so I wanted to give you a piece of that memory.” 

Luke all but melts at the statement, crossing the tiny space between them to pull Calum into a tight hug. Calum tenses quickly, but releases the tension just as fast, wrapping his hands around Luke’s shoulders to hold him tightly.

“Thank you so much, Cal, I honestly don’t have words to explain how much this means to me,” Luke whispers. After a moment, Luke pulls away, not stepping out of Calum’s embrace fully. The air shifts again, charged in a new way as Luke looks at Calum, really looks at the lines next to his eyes, at the swell of his cheeks, the soft planes of his lips. 

“Stop me if I’m reading this wrong, but I’m going to kiss you now,” Calum breathes into the space, eyelashes fluttering lightly. All Luke can do is nod, so Calum bridges the gap between them, kiss laced with chocolate and sugar, cavity-inducing sweetness. Luke hums appreciatively, lips quirking into a smile at just the wrong moment, causing their kiss to break apart. 

Luke immediately starts laughing, covering his face with his hand as he giggles. “What?” Calum laughs along, giddy off Luke’s energy but unsure what the joke is here. 

“You just... now you have flour on your face,” Luke laughs, swiping his hand across Calum’s cheek to brush away the powder. Calum softens, looking at Luke with what can only be described as pure elation, content, happiness. 

“Can I kiss you again?” Calum asks, biting his own lip under hooded eyes. Luke smiles in response, slotting their lips back together again, pleased to just stay here and do this for the rest of the evening and really, for the rest of his life. He knows it’s too early to be thinking that way, forever jumping to marriage and kids and Duke and Petunia running around the backyard together, but he can’t help it when things feel this comfortable, a warm blanket on a cold night. 

Fate has other plans for them at the moment, as the timer dings for their cookies to be done and they’re forced to separate. But even when he’s moving to the other side of the kitchen, Calum trails behind him and Luke likes to think that he could get used to this, moving in tandem with another who isn’t Ashton, to feel that shadow following him around as he moves through life. 

They taste test their cookies, humming in satisfaction that they are better than the ones that Calum brought in, heightened by Calum’s argument that it isn’t fair to compare the two, given that Luke is a certified baker and Calum is a photographer. They giggle over shared memories of baking cookies for the holidays, reminiscing about their past lives before the coffee shop brought them together. 

Luke can’t help but invade Calum’s space, bouncing off of him laying a hand over Calum’s; anything to get him as close as possible at all times. They close up the shop fully, turning off all the lights and shrugging their jackets back on and bundling up to go out into the cold. 

They both pause outside the store front, staring at each other in weighted silence. Luke desperately wants to hold onto this moment, to extend it forever and live in a happy fantasy. He knows he needs to go home and make dinner, assuming Calum needs to do the same, something they could do together, but wouldn’t, at least not yet. 

“Am I still going to get free snacks all the time?” Calum finally asks, sniffling as the cold bites at his nose. Luke laughs loudly, puff of breath floating between them in the chilly air. 

“I think we could arrange that,” Luke says, biting on his lip. 

“In the meantime, do you want to maybe grab dinner? You know, so I can repay you for all your time and treats? I don’t really want this to end,” Calum says, ducking his head a bit. 

Luke beams, nodding gratefully as he extends his gloved hand towards Calum, flexing his fingers expectantly. Calum rolls his eyes but takes Luke’s hand in his, tugging him lightly in the direction Calum wants to go. They head down the street, chatting conversationally, both silently appreciative of the coffee shop that brought them together, the scent of cookies and coffee trailing behind them with every step. 

They don’t know what the future holds, but Luke would be content if it contained a lot more of Calum and the coffee shop. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Talk to me on Tumblr [lifewasradical](https://lifewasradical.tumblr.com) 💜


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